Pitched roofs of buildings normally are provided with partially overlapping courses of shingles for protecting the buildings against inclement weather. The conventional method for applying these shingles is to position the shingles manually on the roof and nail or staple them in place. This process typically involves several installers and is very time consuming. As a result, even a simple roofing project usually is quite costly.
In addition to the time and cost involved, the installers sometimes are required to stand or kneel on the newly laid shingles when installing successive courses of shingles. This unnecessarily subjects the shingles to potential damage.